Historic Preservation

The City of Gainesville has five local historic districts, protecting more than 1,500 historic structures and 10 buildings listed individually on the Local Register of Historic Places. The Local Register was created as a means of identifying and classifying various sites, buildings, structures, objects and districts as historic and/or architecturally significant. City procedures for keeping the Register and design review for properties in a historic district or on the Local Register are set forth in Section 30-112 of the city’s Land Development Code.

Local Historic Districts

Please explore the city's historic districts using the interactive map below. Here you can find information such as the name and boundaries of each historic district and whether a building is either contributing or noncontributing.

Local Register Listings

Insert the info on the second tab of the attached excel chart.

National Register Listings

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect America's historic and archaeological resources. You can find out more online at https://www.nps.gov/nr/faq.htm.

Gainesville has four National Register Historic Districts and 34 buildings listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places.

Local Historic Districts

Pleasant Street Historic District contains the oldest predominantly African-American residential area in Gainesville and the State's first designated as a historic district. Buildings include wood frame vernacular houses, Bungalows, Queen Anne, Colonial and Eastlake Victorian residences and two Romanesque churches.

Northeast Residential Historic District is one of the oldest residential areas in Gainesville. The original section was platted in 1854. The buildings in this 80-block area reflect architectural styles prevalent in Florida from the 1880s through the 1950s. The District includes the historic Duck Pond and Sweetwater Branch.

Southeast Gainesville Historic District has its origins in post-Civil War development. It includes Queen Anne style and Colonial Revival homes, as well as a French Second Empire home, all of which served as residences for downtown merchants and professionals at the turn of the century.

University Heights Historic District - North reflects architectural styles prevalent in Florida from the 1920s to the early 1950s. The district and its significant concentration of historic buildings include the University Terrace and Florida Court subdivisions.

University Heights Historic District - South includes the University Heights and University Place subdivisions. It reflects typical suburban residential growth patterns of Florida cities in the mid-twentieth century. It is located between the University of Florida and downtown.

The City of Gainesville was designated as a Preserve America Community in 2008, which recognizes the city's celebration and protection of our local heritage assets with economic development and community revitalization in mind.